The late Curt Flood was one of the most important baseball players of the 20th century, if not one of the most influential athletes period. His courageous stance against Major League Baseball's reserve clause in 1969 led to the creation of free agency in America's national pastime and eventually all other major professional sports. The Curt Flood Act of 1998 established federal antitrust law protection for all MLB players equal to other pro athletes. Flood may be more celebrated off the field as a pioneer for pro athletes' rights, but his career accolades on the diamond were quite impressive as well. In a 15-year career spent almost entirely in St. Louis, centerfielder Flood won seven straight Gold Glove awards from 1963-69, earned three All-Star appearances, and played a major role on two Cardinals’ World Series-winning teams in 1964 and '67. During those two championship seasons, Flood batted .311 and .335, respectively. From September 3, 1965 to June 4, 1967, he did not commit an error in centerfield, which stood as a Cardinals' team record until 2013. In 2015, he was inducted into the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame; it would only be fair to his legacy to see him enshrined in Cooperstown one day.
Featured here is Flood's 1968 Rawlings Gold Glove Award trophy that he received after recording a .983 fielding percentage with 384 putouts in 149 games. At the plate, he batted .301 with 186 hits and 71 runs scored. This is the last of his seven Gold Gloves Awards yet to be offered publicly, and it comes directly from his family/estate; the other six have all been auctioned since Flood's death in 1997. The trophy, which measures 17.5” wide by 17” tall, boasts a gold-plated Rawlings fielder’s glove on top of a two-tiered wooden base. The pocket of the glove is stamped “Major League All-Star Fielding Team.” On either side of the gold glove are two gold-plated Rawlings baseballs which are set inside three-pronged holders. The lower level of the wooden base is covered by an engraved gold plaque that reads as follows: “OF – CURT FLOOD – 6TH AWARD, The Sporting News, National League All-Star Fielding Team.” The second tier of the trophy includes a head shot of Flood super-imposed on the gold plaque. A magnificent piece to own from one of professional sports' most influential athletes.
Includes LOA from Curt Flood's wife and renowned actress, Judy Pace Flood.